Stage Left and Right: Modeling Civil Discourse in the Classroom Through Fictional Presidential Debates Between FDR and Reagan

Franklin Roosevelt—the arch liberal president of the twentieth century—and Ronald Reagan—the face of modern conservatism—remain two of the most influential presidents in American politics. Both impacted policy and politics for decades and in ways that continue to reverberate today. In an attempt to examine the influence of FDR and Reagan in ways that are accessible to our students, we twice taught a class titled FDR and Reagan: What the Greatest Presidential Debate in History Can Teach Us About American Politics ... and How We Can All Get Along. This class asked students to perform fictional presidential debates between the two presidents on foreign, economic, and social policies. The emphasis on role-playing and debate allowed students to conduct deep background research while also encouraging them to inhabit the character of each president. Thus, they were able to immerse themselves in each one’s vision for the nation. Most importantly, this method allowed them to explore how it is both possible and necessary to have rational and respectful political discourse: FDR and Reagan came from opposite ends of the political spectrum and yet, by the end of the course, our students could appreciate that they were both transformative and effective leaders. Both were great communicators able to articulate their visions for the United States. Exploring the meanings of liberalism and conservatism through these methods encouraged greater empathy for opposing political viewpoints in our students. By analyzing the methods and outcomes of our course in this paper, we hope that history teachers might consider similar models to help our students bridge the current political divides which afflict the nation.

Open Educational Resources in History: A State-of-the Field Essay

History practitioners are making steady progress adopting, adapting and creating open educational resources. However, most historians do not have a holistic view of the materials that exist in the open sphere due to poor discoverability and professional standards that still hamper their uptake. This state-of-the-field article discusses the challenges and opportunities of engaging with history OERs as divided into three categories: 1) textbooks and teaching modules, 2) informational websites and interactive experiences, and 3) digital tools for collaborative research. The flexibility and adaptability of these resources, afforded by their open licenses, are key points in their prospects for longevity and enduring benefit for the practice of history. The author concludes that, while more work remains to be done by administrators, librarians and pedagogy specialists around building awareness of open history, the digital revolution and changing attitudes towards collaborative scholarship lead to greater possibilities for this field.

Teaching Jacobitism for the Twenty-First Century

This is a case study in highlighting evolutionary changes that have taken place within the history profession in recent years. Between 2015 and 2021 I have taught and redesigned a course for university students on the Jacobites. During this time I have significantly evolved in my approach to teaching eighteenth century history. I have moved from designing knowledge-based courses to skill-based courses, skills which all historians use regardless of specialism or field of interest such as historical empathy, measuring progress and decline, close reading of primary and secondary sources. I introduced marginalised and often forgotten voices from history and in doing so disrupted the romantic image of the Jacobite.. With this approach aimed to promote a set of skills relevant for the twenty-first century. A new generation of students has a different approach to learning than previous generations and social media is now used to consolidate learning through interactivity and fun. The new media and the digital technologies are now essential tools whether it be online course design and assessment or face-to-face with the students. My traditional forms of teaching eighteenth century history have fundamentally been challenged by the new technologies and pedagogical approaches have undergone significant evolutionary change.